Friday, August 20, 2010

UNHCR is increasingly concerned about the plight of flood-affectedAfghan refugees in Pakistan, some of whom are now under pressure torepatriate by speculators around Peshawar seeking to develop land thatuntil now has been occupied by refugee settlements.

With 1.7 million Afghan refugees, Pakistan has one of the worldslargest refugee populations. More than 1.5 million of these are inaffected provinces, dozens of Afghan refugee villages have been damaged,and several are completely destroyed. In Khyber Pakhtunkwa provincealone, more than 12,000 dwellings in refugee villages have been sweptaway leaving almost 70,000 people homeless.

Many of the Afghan refugee settlements in Pakistan were establishedsome 30 years ago after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan triggered thefirst wave of refugees. At the time the settlements were in remote areasor on the edges of cities. Over the years, the land has become morevaluable as cities have grown.

UNHCR welcomes the assurances from federal authorities that all peopleaffected by the floods should be able to return to their homes torebuild, including Afghan refugees. The Ministry of State and FrontierRegions and the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees have also givenassurances refugees have the right to return to their dwellings. Wehope that local arrangements can be made quickly to ensure the spirit ofthis commitment cascades down to all levels, and moves by landspeculators are stymied.

One of the worst hit refugee villages has been Azakheil in Nowsheradistrict in Pakistans northwest. Here more than 23,000 people losthomes. A UNHCR technical team is on its way today to assess thefeasibility of rebuilding on the site. Over the next days, theprovincial government is expected to decide whether the village can berebuilt on the same site or whether residents will have to relocate toanother settlement in the same district.

In the damaged refugee camps around Peshawar, Afghans are pickingthrough the mud trying to salvage what they can from their homes. Mosthave sought shelter elsewhere for the moment, and are scattered insurrounding communities with relatives or in makeshift shelters. Sincethe floods hit at the end of July, UNHCR has distributed tents and othershelter supplies - for example, cooking sets and sleeping materials - tothe worst-hit families. We are also preparing to rebuild infrastructureincluding schools, health points and water and sanitation facilities inrefugee villages and surrounding communities in cooperation with localauthorities and humanitarian partners.

Meanwhile, the overall flood situation in Pakistan and our response isbecoming increasingly complex as we respond on a number of fronts. Ourfocus continues to be the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistanwhere we have an existing strong field presence. Balochistan is nowhosting more than a million people displaced by flood waters, includingmore than 600,000 fleeing Jacocabad and other towns in neighbouringSindh. As one of the few humanitarian agencies with a field presence inthis remote part of Pakistan, UNHCR, alongside the ICRC, has been askedto lead the international relief effort in the province.

UNHCR is also being asked to take on a larger role in the south of thecountry, and is extending its technical expertise to local authoritiesin Sindh who have set up tented camps in Karachi and Sukkur. In recentdays, UNHCR has sent specialist camp coordination and camp managementstaff to Karachi and Sukkur to help advise local officials on managingthe temporary sites until people can return, with their tents, to theirhomes. The overall management of the camps remains with the Pakistaniauthorities.

With the continued growing needs in Pakistan and its expanding role inflood response, UNHCR is currently revising its initial appeal of $41million. The new appeal is expected to be released in the next few days.